JOSH TAYLOR and Jack Catterall were not the only two fighters to be affected when their proposed rematch in Glasgow next month was postponed indefinitely.
Pencilled in for the undercard had been the British and Commonwealth title bout between Scotland’s Nathaniel Collins and James Beech Jr, and with the Sky Sports/Top Rank/Boxxer world title event no longer taking place, that set in motion a plan to find a new home for Collins’ featherweight contest with his English opponent.
Eager to retain home advantage, his manager and promoter, Sam Kynoch, staked a claim to host it at Glasgow’s Doubletree Hilton Hotel. Or The Thistle as people of a certain vintage still call it.
With Kynoch Boxing effectively a one-man show, it has meant a hefty increase in workload and expense for its eponymous owner. But the former lawyer believes it will prove to be worth it in the long run.
“If it had gone ahead on Josh’s undercard it would have made my life a lot easier,” admits Kynoch. “It would just be dealing with things from the management side of things, attending the rules meetings, looking at the gloves, making sure your boxer is happy and ready. And then you can sit back and enjoy the main event.
“But when it falls on a card where I’m also the promoter then you’ve got all those duties still but also worrying about ticket sales, sponsorship, dealing with both sets of boards and officials and everything else.
“I’ve put on a lot of title fights in my time but this is the first one with both the British and Commonwealth belts on the line. I’m taking a humongous risk with the cost of putting this fight on as you don’t usually see double title fights on dinner shows because of the expense. But I’m going out on a limb for this one as it’s important for Nathaniel and I think he can go all the way.
“If he wins he’ll be my first British champion. And to deliver it in Glasgow – with the Commonwealth on the line as well – is really quite significant. It’s stressful organising everything but it’s exciting as well. Other promoters like Matchroom have a cast of thousands working for them but my team is just me. But I fully believe in Nathaniel so I have no fears at all about putting this fight on.”
Kynoch hopes that one of the broadcasters might take up the chance to deliver the fight on March 10th to a wider audience.
“Scottish title fights are great and I’m a huge advocate of those and Celtic title fights. But when you start bringing British and Commonwealth title fights to Scotland then it makes people sit up and take notice. BBC and STV give other sports coverage and I think they should really be looking at this and getting involved. We’re doing our bit and so are the boxers and they deserve the widest platform. So hopefully one of the broadcasters comes to the table as it’s going to be a great spectacle with a lot at stake.”
The Collins fight will be the start and not the end of a frantic weekend of boxing for Kynoch as he tries to check in on as many of the fighters in his stable as possible. Unable to be there in the flesh to see former world champion Hannah Rankin return to the ring, he does plan on heading north to Aberdeen then south to Kent once Collins’ fight is done and dusted.
“I need to be here for Nathaniel’s fight so I won’t be able to make Hannah’s return, which is a shame as she’s one of the stars of the stable,” he said. “But her fight is going to be streamed so I should be able to watch that.
“Then it’s Aberdeen on Saturday where I’ve got a few guys fighting including one for a Scottish title, fly to London on Sunday afternoon for an awards ceremony, then head to Kent in the evening to watch Johanna Wonyou compete for the Commonwealth title. It’s going to be my busiest ever weekend in boxing but it’s important for the boxers to know they’re supported.”
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